Table of Contents
After defeating the Ultimate Sakapatate and getting all the items in Ancient Sanctuary, it’s time to head over to the Gestral Village. This chapter is filled with comedies and really changes the whole mood of the game for a bit. So, make sure to talk to everyone to discover how ridiculous Gestrals are. Let’s get to it!
Gestral Village
This unique settlement’s entrance is impossible to miss, it's just up ahead after getting out of the Ancient Sanctuary, and there are no other paths, really. Just beside the Gestral Village’s portal, there is a small camp with a Colour of Lumina. Take it, and you can go to camp to rest, write in the journal, level up, and upgrade your equipment.
As soon as you arrive, activate the Expedition Flag: Entrance to create a fast travel point. Follow the path uphill through the gate, where you'll spot Noco on your left. Your first objective is to speak with the village ‘chef’, so head directly to the large building straight ahead.
The ‘chef’ previously mentioned turns out to be the chief of the village. Inside the Chief's house, talk to Golgra. You'll learn that to proceed further in your journey, you'll need to compete in the local tournament. But before that, of course, we need to explore the village!
The village is laid out in a circular pattern around the Chief's house. Let's explore it systematically, starting to the right from the Chief's house.
The Gestral Bazaar
Head right from the Chief's house to reach the Gestral Bazaar, a lively marketplace filled with vendors and items to collect.
Find the merchant with the green brush-headed Gestral talking nearby, the first vendor on the left. After their conversation ends, speak with Jujubree, the Gestral Merchant. He sells Pictos - Critical Moment and other common items. If you defeat him in battle, he'll also sell Gustave Weapon - Demonam.
If you bought the Weird Pictos from the Gommage Festival during the Prologue in Lumière, show it to Jujubree for a reward: Pictos - Augmented Aim (Lv5). If he doesn't request it immediately, you can come back later.
Next, talk to the vendor right beside Jujubree, Berrami, who rewards you for showing him Expedition Journals found during your adventures. Check in with him periodically for Colour of Lumina x20 rewards.
Next to Berrami, you will see a left turn towards an alley. Talk to the Gestral along the way, and enter to trigger an ambush by Eesda. After defeating him, he'll sell you items, including Pictos - Healing Mark and Maelle Weapon - Sekarum.
Exit the alley and look for a wooden path heading upward, right behind Berrami. Follow it to the end to collect Chroma x610. You can destroy the boxes that block your way by using free-aim shots.
Back at the bazaar, speak with the large Gestral standing in front of the alley. He'll offer to sell you "Excalibur" for 1,000 Chroma. Buy it to receive a Wooden Sword quest item that may be useful later.
Village Outskirts and Jousting Area
Get out of the bazaar and look for Karatom, a small Gestral on the left side, standing in front of a huge Sakapatate. He'll ask you to bring him a Blue Mushroom, which you'll find in the next chapter.
After talking to Karatom, walk against him to find another Gestral Merchant. He sells cosmetic items for Gustave, Sakapatate Outfit, and Gestral Haircut. He also sells a mystery item that requires a new Expeditioner before unlocking it.
Behind this merchant is a jousting area. Follow the trail of the queue and check the far end near a fallen pot to find Colour of Lumina.
In front of the jousting area, find a tall yellow Gestral named Alexsoundro, worried about her child stuck on a ledge. After talking to her, look for a gate with a bridge on it. Get past the gate and turn right. You will see a magic rope in the distance, that’s where you want to go.
Get on top of the rope, navigate the grapple point and climbing holds to reach a wooden bridge. Jump to the pillar from the end of the walkway and speak with the child. After returning the child safely, you'll receive Lune’s Sekapatate Outfit.
Now head towards the small gate again towards the infirmary. You will see a white sickly Gestral on the left. Look for a small path left of the ‘Arena’ sign, head there to find Journal - Expedition 52. After getting it, proceed to the Arena and activate the Expedition Flag: Gestral Arena.
The Casino and Stage
This area is where you can join the tournament. You can do it now, but there is still a lot to discover, so let’s continue exploring first. Exit from the area through the path on the right, then turn left to see 2 Gestrals brawling. Keep going along the way until you see a fancy-looking Casino on the left. While going there, keep a lookout for a Recoat on the right side.
Once you have reached the Casino building, interact with the door. The Gestral inside will then ask you a question. Answer with “I don’t care” option, and he will give you Pictos – Roulette. If you like RNG, this Pictos is really good for Maelle.
From here, take the other path to reach a stage area. Behind the stage, you’ll find Chroma x1,220, and to the left of the stage, there’s a magic rope you can climb to collect another Chroma x1,220. Now you can take a moment to listen to the beautiful tune by the musician, appreciate the magnificent work by the music team.
While in this area, talk to the Gestrals to have absurdly funny conversations. In this same area, you’ll find Alexcyclo, a Gestral Merchant who sells exclusive items that become available once you unlock another Expeditioner later in the game.
Near the trader, look for a “Turn Back” sign. You don’t want to turn back, you want to get in there instead. This path will take you to the Manor door.
The Manor
If you get into the Manor, you will be taken to the kitchen instead of the lobby. There are a lot of things to discover here.
First, find and activate all three hidden objects: a Roman statue on the right side of the door, the middle of the three pans hanging on the wall, and a spinning candelabra on the left table. Once all three are activated, a grate in the floor near some crates by the entrance door will open.
Drop down through the opening to discover a dead Gestral, with a piece of cake on its belly. Move through the hole in the wall to find a staircase. Behind and to the left of these stairs, get the Shape of Energy.
Next, locate a crawling hole concealed by crates opposite the base of the stairs. Break the crates and crawl through to uncover another staircase. Beside these stairs, you will find a Rebellious haircut for Maelle.
Head up the stairs to enter a locked room. Inside, there is a picture on the floor showing a group of people, which might be an Easter egg featuring the game’s developers. The door here is locked. When you're done exploring, return through the crawlspace, go back up the stairs, pass through the kitchen, and exit the main door to return to the village.
Before heading to the tournament, start from the Chief’s House and take the path to the right. Search the shrubs behind the really tall Gestral to find a Colour of Lumina.
Continue along this path to come across a sleeping Gestral. Use free aim to shoot the mirror inside his house, which will wake him up and trigger a quick fight. Once he’s dealt with, you can collect Chroma x1,200 he was blocking.
The Arena Tournament
Now it's time for the main event! Head to the Arena and speak with Limonsol, the Gestral who looks like a pineapple, sitting at the desk. The tournament consists of four rounds:
Round 1-3: Gestral Opponents
You can use any single character for each of these fights:
- Bertrand Big Hands: Uses a simple punch attack repeatedly. Easy to counter.
- Dominique Giant Feet: Uses an overhead slam attack. Timing is tricky, so dodge until you get a feel for it, then parry.
- Matthieu the Colossus: Uses a sword arm attack repeatedly. Easy to counter.
Final Round: The Stranger
This battle is special because the character you choose will earn a new weapon:
- Maelle receives Weapon - Medaulm
- Lune earns Weapon - Trebuchim
- Gustave receives Weapon - Sakaram
I personally picked Maelle for this fight as her weapon is much harder to obtain elsewhere than the others.
The mystery champion turns out to be Sciel, a member of Expedition 33 who got separated at the beach. She uses more moves and deals more damage, but it isn't too difficult. After the tournament, Sciel will join your party! You'll return to the Chief's House and control Sciel for a tutorial battle.
Sciel's Battle Mechanics
Sciel uses a unique combat system centered around her Scythe and Foretell ability:
- She can place Foretell stacks on enemies and then consume them
- Placing stacks gives her Sun Charges
- Consuming stacks gives her Moon Charges
- With a Sun Charge, each Foretell consumed grants 1 AP
- With a Moon Charge, she gets 1 AP per Foretell stacked
- When she has both Sun and Moon charges, she enters Twilight Mode for 2 turns
- In Twilight Mode:
- All Foretell stacks are doubled
- She can apply up to 20 stacks per enemy (instead of 10)
- Damage is increased
Basically, the best way to play Sciel is to first get into a Twilight state, then try to maximize Foretell stacks for huge damage. After the tutorial, Golgra will give you the password needed to meet Esquie.
Before Leaving
Before exiting the village, return to the stage area and speak with the Gestral Merchant. Now that Sciel has joined your party, you’ll be able to purchase the Sciel Outfit – Sakapatate.
Once you've made your purchase, head back to the village entrance and use the portal to return to the world map. Congratulations! The area will now be marked as completed, and you’ll earn an Achievement for it. Your next destination is Esquie’s Nest.
